Christine Jorgensen  1926-1989

An early trans activist born in the Bronx, Christine Jorgensen was drafted into the U.S. military for WWII.  After the war, she traveled to Denmark in 1950 for a series of surgeries and hormone treatments that transformed her body into that of a woman. Christine intended for her transition to remain private, however, it was leaked to the press. A newspaper published photographs of Christine before and after her transition with the headline “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty”.   Within days, Christine was both a national and international celebrity, which she saw as an opportunity to advocate for acceptance of transgender people.  Many reporters questioned whether she was a “real” man or a “real” woman. Christine would answer that no one had to be 100% male or 100% female. It was acceptable and normal to be a little of both.

Lesser Yellowlegs populations have declined by 70-80% over the past 5 decades.